Credit Rating Process

When you apply to have your qualifications or learning programmes credit rated you will be allocated a dedicated member of staff from our experienced team who will be on hand to provide advice. This member of staff will progress your submission through to the Credit Rating Decision Group for consideration.

Step one

Your organisation will complete the CRS1 form, this includes blank unit templates and credit rating scorecards. This and any supporting documentation is submitted electronically to the credit rating service.

Step two

On receipt of your completed submission a Credit Rating Officer (CRO) will be allocated to you. The CRO will undertake an initial inspection of your submission to ensure that the credit rating criteria have been met. These are:

qualifications or learning programmes must be based on learning outcomes

outcomes must be formally assessed and results recorded

there must be a documented process of internal and external quality assurance

qualifications or learning programmes must have a minimum of 10 notional hours of learning for the average candidate.

Step three

If the submission is ready to progress the CRO will allocate an SQA Officer to carry out a site visit. This is to ensure that the submitting organisation has sufficient procedures and processes in place to meet SCQF guidelines and our credit rating criteria. The SQA Officer will carry out the visit and raise any issues directly with your organisation.

The CRO will appoint a rater and vetter, who are subject experts, to carry out evaluations of the qualification/learning programme and the level and credit points recommended by the your organisation.

Step four

The CRO will present a report to the Credit Rating Decision Group (CRDG), this is an internal SQA group which will make a decision on the credit rating outcome.

Step five

CRDG will either allocate a credit rating or determine conditions that must be met before the credit rating can be applied. Once credit rated the CRO will issue the SCQF logo, strapline and guidelines for its use.

Step six

The credit rated qualification or learning programme is added to our credit rating service webpage and uploaded to SCQF’s central database for credit rated provision.

Step seven

If you have asked SQA to provide your annual external Quality Assurance (QA) for the qualification or learning programme then you will be contacted annually to arrange a visit. If you have your own external QA in place you will be sent a report form to be completed annually.